Rossport Five: Dublin Demonstration

by eeekkkkk Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:23

http://www.indymedia.ie/mayo

by b Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:43

...

by Justin Morahan - Peace People (individual) Tue Jul 05, 2005 13:48

"Madam

Adding insult to injury, Shell E&P Ireland condescends to have "constructive dialogue" with the five Mayo residents whom they have got committed to prison. In the same breath they accuse the five of "having a wider agenda". (IT 2 July 2005). Backed by the Irish State, they must feel that they are in a particularly powerful position as they try to dictate terms to Brendan Philbin, Willie Corduff, James McGrath, Vincent McGrath, and Mícheál Ó Seighin. They know that these honourable men ar now in a position of weakness, but when they wanted to speak to Shell as free men, Shell's Dublin doors were slammed firmly shut against them.

Shell (and by implication its lesser partners Statoil and Marathon Oil) now plan to disregard the public outcry and press ahead with their money-making plans in Mayo regardless.

The arrogance of their position is matched only by the insolent certitude with which they have acted from the beginning of this saga. They knew the right time, the right people and the minimum necessary steps to take along the way: So, free exploration rights were obtained from then Minister Ray Burke, a Quantified Risk Assessment, largely composed by Shell-related "independent" assessors, was enough to befuddle Mayo County Council and Bord Pleanála; they obtained Compulsory Acquisition Orders after prolonged battles with the authorities; they got away with a return to the State of an insulting 25% of future profits and the carrot-and-stick approach to local landowners and residents was only a small hurdle they had to clear to secure a fait accompli.

When the sons and daughters of Michael Davitt's Land League said No to the bullying tactics, Shell had to run for the shelter of the umbrella of Irish law, willingly opened for them by the Irish State.

The so-called "rights" of the bullying multi-national company are now being upheld by Irish courts while the real rights of landowners are declared null and void and the landowners themselves and their supporters are thrown into Irish prisons.
It is not the decent people of Rossport who have a "wider agenda" but the brazen multi-national companies who demand the use of their lands for their own self interest.

Who can stop Shell now? Who can force them to re-negotiate the deal, to push their refinery off the land. Who can prevent them from claiming the assets of their victims, and their children. Who can forbid them from making guinea pigs of Rossport people by continuing with their unprecedented, dangerous experiment of laying high-pressure crude oil pipes and electricity cables across reclaimed bogland? Only the people of Ireland can now shout Stop.
Justin Morahan
71 Scholarstown Park
Dublin 16"

by mary belmullet Tue Jul 05, 2005 14:08

Well done to you Maura & to others- that summary was outlined clearly and it should be said that information, is of course the product of over 5 years of hard work, sweat, committment, anguish, dogged determination & guided by an unselfish love of North Mayo and its people by you and by a core group of others.
North Mayo and Ireland owes a huge debt of gratitude to you and others.

You have given up a huge part of your lives to devote to Justice, fair play for the people of North Mayo and indeed Ireland as regards the Gas Project.

It is sad that such extreme efforts must be made by ordinary decent people on a voluntary capacity in order to get our publicly elected Govt, local authority, state agencies to act in the peoples best interest. Which sadly has never been done in this case- see the facts for yourself!

I think our Govt is leading Ireland down the wrong road entirely- the easy option is very often not the right one.

Hip Hip Hooray for the Honourable people as you Maura, the Rossport 5, and many others- I still have faith thanks to you.

by im a local cos i say so Tue Jul 05, 2005 16:21

the main clip shown on RTE news last night acompaning there update on this stroy was showing a Gardai Sargeant asking locals to remain in charge of the protest...

one must respect locals as always but nobody is excluded from protesting against the unjust.